LWHRA DEI Resource Page
Here on the LWHRA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, we’ve heard a lot of requests from industry colleagues regarding where to start the sometimes overwhelming work of DEI reform within organizations, and how to move forward in simple steps.
We won’t lie and say that a good approach to DEI is the easiest, fastest option available. Countering generations of marginalization to cultivate an organizational culture that empowers employees and community members of all intersectional identities to thrive won’t be easy, it won’t be fast, and it won’t ever, truly, be work that is complete.
We can, however, provide some resources to get the process started. See below for some ideas and resources depending on your particular circumstances.
Where to start if you are an individual seeking to further your own understanding of issues related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
Here’s a very non-exhaustive list of information on various topics. Pick one and get started - make it a goal to read, watch, or listen to one resource every month, or every week if you have the capacity.
Educational Resources on Disability Issues
Learn about your own biases
Resources to help initiate conversations with your colleagues:
TED Talks Playlist: A Blueprint for Diversity in the Workplace
Where to start when you have leadership engagement:
If there is a budget, hire a consultant. It may not be cheap, but as with any professional consulting arrangement, carefully selecting a professional in this arena to advise your organization through goal setting, assessments, training, and programmatic updates can be the most efficient and effective way to open up your organization to the benefits of a robust DEI orientation.
Consider pursuing a DEI Certificate Program, or selecting employees from your team and encouraging them to pursue this. Remember, DEI is critical to effective HR, but it does not live in HR - it is an organization-wide endeavor. Consider forming a network of colleagues in different departments to take a course together.
Start with an assessment, and identify goals to get started. Again, if you are able to engage in this process with a cross-functional group of committed colleagues, and with leadership sponsorship and engagement, as assessment can illuminate deficits and help drive cross-functional goals and metrics.
If you don’t have leadership engagement to make significant headway, you may have to ask yourself how much you can really accomplish, and what will be the best use of your time in creating change. Evaluate what you can do, from your role, to begin to engage leadership and to begin to make cultural shifts to support a more inclusive and equitable culture. Even just an Affirmative Action Plan, or updating HR policies through an inclusive lens, can start leading to gradual cultural shifts and increasing opportunities to make an impact over time.
If you are already working for an organization that is making great headway in the DEI arena, the main task before you is: Don’t Stop! Keep learning, keep supporting the efforts in your organization, and continue challenging both yourself and your organization to learn more and do more. This is a journey with no end, but rewards at each step of the way. Consider working with your organization to get an organizational certification or membership, such as becoming a stigma-free workplace or joining a cross-industry consortium to further the effectiveness of your efforts.
To continue this journey, consider joining us for our DEI Coffee Chats, or even joining the LWHRA DEI Committee as a volunteer! There’s always more to do and learn.
Thank you, and see you on the road to DEI in the workplace!
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